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| Luxury included: Sandals resorts give butler service to guests who book higher room categories. |
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| A GETAWAY FOR EVERY TASTE |
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A primer on some all-inclusive chains popular with U.S. vacationers:
SuperClubs: They range from high-end Breezes Grand Negril ($190 a night a person and up), to anything-goes, adult haven Hedonism II and more toned down adults-only SuperFun Beach Resort & Spa (once Hedonism III), all in Jamaica. SuperClubs also has all-inclusives in the Bahamas, Curacao, Panama, Brazil. 877-467-8737 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 877-467-8737 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, superclubs.com
Sandals and Beaches: Sandals caters to couples starting around $200 a person (suites with pools can cost $1,000 daily for two and up and have butlers) in Jamaica, St. Lucia, the Bahamas and Antigua. Beaches targets families in Jamaica and Turks and Caicos, as do Sandals' new value-oriented "authentic Caribbean" Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts in Jamaica and Antigua. 888-726-3257 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-726-3257 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, sandals.com
Club Med: The pioneering all-inclusive chain is 60 this year. Once famed as a singles haunt, it has clubs worldwide catering to families. Rooms are face-lifted; Florida's revamped Sandpiper Bay - billed as the only U.S. family all-inclusive - reopens soon. 888-932-2582 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-932-2582 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, clubmed.us
Secrets and Dreams: In the AMResorts stable, Secrets (for adults) is in Mexico, Jamaica and Dominican Republic. Family-friendly Dreams is in Mexico and Dominican Republic. Secrets, 866-467-3273 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 866-467-3273 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; Dreams, 866-237-3267 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 866-237-3267 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; amresorts.com
IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts: The expanding Spanish chain is making a play for Americans with ads featuring Antonio Banderas. Locations include Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Spain, North Africa and Europe. 305-774-9225 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 305-774-9225 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, iberostar.com
Paradisus: The high-end brand in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, with VIP quarters at higher cost, is from Spanish hotel giant Sol Melia, which also has lower-priced all-inclusives. 888-741-5600 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-741-5600 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, paradisus.com
Occidental Hotels & Resorts: Its adults-only Royal Hideaway Playacar south of Cancun is favored by discerning travelers and highly rated by AAA. Cheaper Occidental Grand and Allegro resorts also are in the Occidental stable. It has lodgings in Aruba, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Spain. 800-858-2258 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-858-2258 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, occidentalhotels.com |
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"On vacation, we're all stars."
That's the theme of a new ad campaign for IBEROSTAR's all-inclusive resorts, starring actor
Antonio Banderas.
The Spanish chain aims to lure more Americans to its lodgings in the Caribbean and elsewhere by touting what savvy travelers know: Resorts where meals, snacks, booze and most activities are covered, often at jaw-dropping rates, can make budgeters feel like big shots. It's a vacation option that's better every year, as all-inclusives up their games with new properties, fancier rooms and meals that can rival those at chic hotels.
Even traditional chains such as Hilton have dipped their toes into all-inclusive waters, and à la carte resorts (
Ritz-Carlton's Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall,
Jamaica, for one) have added packages with meals and drinks to woo those who want to know the bottom line before they leave home.
"We see this as a growing market," says Hilton's Danny Hughes, senior vice president of operations for
Latin America and the Caribbean. People at all income levels like knowing what a vacation will cost and having an "overall experience" at their fingertips without having to plan or pay extra, he says.
Another draw: You don't have to tip.
Here's advice from veteran travel planners and industry insiders on getting the most from an all-inclusive getaway:
Define your vacation goals
Do you want a gorgeous beach, an adults-only romantic interlude, a family vacation, a wedding that's easy to plan (Sandals Resorts has partnered with
Martha Stewart Weddings), a party place? Different chains cater to various ages and proclivities, with everything from suites and butlers to nude beaches, casinos or infant day care.
Find the resort that fits your budget
Clients of Jim Hobbs' Cheapcaribbean.com ask: "Where's the best value?" he says. "People are looking for a high-end vacation at prices they can afford." Because most all-inclusives are in countries with cheap labor and low cost of living, you can stay for less than $100 daily per person.
Luxury lovers can be happy at an all-inclusive, says Arthur Mehmel, founder of TourScan Caribbean Vacations. He has sent wealthy clients to the AAA five-star Royal Hideaway Playacar near Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and booked the all-inclusive option at chic Half Moon Resort in Jamaica. Couples-only Sandals, whose slogan is "luxury included," offers butlers and private plunge pools for $1,000-plus per couple nightly. Its 74-suite Sandals Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, is a member of The Leading Small Hotels of the World. Rates before Christmas start at about $700 a couple nightly.
Know when to go
August through mid-December is deal time, especially in the Caribbean. Fall rates at IBEROSTAR start at $158 a room per night (double occupancy) at IBEROSTAR Paraíso del Mar in Riviera Maya, Mexico. In winter high season, the lowest posted rate is $354 double, at IBEROSTAR Cozumel. Watch for grand-opening specials: SuperFun in Jamaica has a $154 nightly rate for two.
Know where to go
Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, St. Lucia and Mexico are crammed with all-inclusives. Up-and-coming destinations include Brazil and Panama. This year, Hilton made its Papagayo
Costa Rica Resort & Spa all-inclusive. It appeals to those seeking outdoor adventures. And for some, "the destination is less important if (the resort) has a great beach," Hughes says. That's the lure of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and Negril in Jamaica. As for kids, the Beaches chain has partnered with
Sesame Street— meaning mingling with Elmo.
Watch for sales
In this iffy economy, specials are everywhere. Even luxe Royal Hideaway Playacar has rates from $213 per person nightly for November and December, instead of $400.
Check before you check in
That's easy via traveler-review sites including TripAdvisor. Cheapcaribbean.com has a resort finder and thousands of reviews from its customers. Read the fine print: You typically pay extra for spa treatments, greens fees, motorized water sports, fine wine. Sandals includes scuba diving and offers free golf (but requires paying for caddies) at some properties.
Opt for air/lodging packages
Cheapcaribbean, TourScan, Apple Vacations, Funjet Vacations and GOGO Worldwide Vacations have cut-rate deals. "Sometimes we can do a week for around $800 a person, including airfare" with a charter flight via Apple or one of the others, Mehmel says. Last-minute deals can be good, too.
Consider pros and cons
If you're looking to explore a destination and its culture, think twice before going all-inclusive. Other than basic classes in local dances or crafts and nightly cruise-ship-like shows, there's usually little cultural immersion. In places such as Punta Cana, there's little to do outside your gated compound other than excursions. You might be ferried to a stable to ride en masse on jaded equines.
Independent sorts may hate wearing a plastic, hospital-style wristband (required at most all-inclusives). Staying and eating at one resort, even with its buffets and specialty restaurants, can be confining. Chains such as Riu or IBEROSTAR combat boredom by allowing resort-hopping when they have several properties in one locale.
Meanwhile, the everything-included concept keeps expanding its beachhead. All-inclusives "have come to realize if they offer better food than average and better service than average for less money, travelers will spread the word," Mehmel says. "And that's what has happened."
A Thai source said: ‘I believe he is travelling to Bangkok at the end of this year around Christmas time and he’s going to spend some time in Bangkok and some time at one of our beaches.’ Reports over the weekend claimed Mr. Cameron had been invited to Thailand by the country’s prime minister. They were contemporaries at Eton College and Oxford, and Thai newspaper reports claim the pair have been ‘buddies’ ever since but Government sources in the UK have insisted not only are the two men not friends, they have never met.
Mr. Cameron will inevitably face strong criticism for abandoning a country facing a Christmas of austerity, to bask in the Thai sunshine, as in 2008 when he joined a wealthy group of friends on a £21,000-a-week yacht on a week-long tour of the Turkish coast.
Vietnam, a country reminiscent of a war-torn epic that rang of rock-and-roll, decadence, and destruction was, up until recently, visited by only the adventurous traveler. Though late in its arrival as a member of part of the Southeast Asian travel belt, today this crescent-shaped land with innate tropical beauty has attracted international appeal, leading to an influx of budget tourists and luxury travelers alike from across the globe.